The Minneapolis Running Ambassadors!

They are passionate about running, involved in their local running community, and love MSP and Minnesota!

Meet the Ambassadors
2018

Lauren Abdill

Lauren Abdill

Lauren is a clinical social worker and rookie runner. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, two dogs and two cats. Age: 26Occupation: Clinical social workerHome: Minneapolis

Years of running experience: 1 Currently training for: The 2018 Twin Cities Marathon Favorite race distance: 10K (to be fair, that’s the farthest distance I’ve run so far!) Favorite place to run: Lake Nokomis Best piece of running advice you have received: Your foam roller is your best friend. Hobbies outside of running: Baking, reading and crossword puzzles A funny or random fact about you: I’m the middle child of seven kids – three above me and three below! Your secret talent: Taking three-hour naps

On Why She Started Running

I started running in spring 2017 because my dad had recently picked up the sport and I was so inspired by him. At 58 years old, he started training for his first marathon and lost 60+ pounds. He’s a retired career firefighter and I thought, “man, if dad can do it, I probably can, right?” So I downloaded the Couch to 5K app and somewhere along the way in summer 2017, I caught the running bug.

On becoming a Minneapolis Running Ambassador

I love the running community in the Twin Cities and was so excited by the opportunity to share my own story of training for my first marathon – the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Aaron Gregerson

Name: Aaron Gregerson

Address: 6798 Polaris Lane N, Maple Grove, MN 55311

Social media handles: @therunofit (Intagram)

Age: 35

Occupation: Chief Digital Officer for a marketing agency

Brief 2-3 sentence bio: Aaron has been running for past 17 years. After competing in triathlons around the state of Minnesota, Aaron focused on running after the birth of his daughter in 2015. He has competed in several races around the Minneapolis area, and is looking forward to another marathon experience in Duluth at Grandma’s in June 2018.

When and why did you start running? I started running to keep in shape in college after my competitive swimming career ended in high school. After overcoming some initial IT band injuries early on, I started running more consistently as part of my triathlon training. My love of the sport just grew from there.

Favorite place to run: Lake Harriet and Calhoun. I grew up in the area, so it always holds a special place in my heart.

Best piece of running advice you have received: Trust in the process. There will be up days. There will be down days. The all even out.

Hobbies outside of running: Spending time with my wife, daughter and dog, home remodel projects and traveling.

A funny or random fact about you: I don’t like the texture of leafy greens, so I don’t eat lettuce, spinach, arugula, etc. The only way I eat them is blended as part of a pesto sauce (or something similar).

Your secret talent: Calm under pressure.

Why did you decide to become a Minneapolis Running Ambassador? I have such a love and a passion for running and enjoy sharing it with people who want to listen. I love the Minneapolis area, having been born and primarily raised here, and feel so fortunate to live in a place that values active lifestyles so much. The match was a no brainer!

Alisa Dean

Name: Alisa Dean

Alisa moved back to the twin cities a few years ago after spending her 20’s exploring and working in small towns across the US. She tested out fencing and rugby when she was younger, but running has become her lifelong sport. When she’s not running you can find her crafting, hiking, and playing MacGyver with anything that’s broken.

Age: 33Occupation: Academic AdvisorHome: Minnetonka

Years of running experience: 6 Currently training for: The culmination of the TC Summit Challenge MNy (Twin Cities 10 mile). I’m also doing Spartan this summer which means I’ll be doing a lot of cross training to try and avoid burpees (you have to do burpees when you fail an obstacle). Favorite race distance: 5K – Short but fun and huge variety. Favorite place to run: Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail Best piece of running advice you have received: You can always put your running shoes back on. – When I had lost motivation and stopped running for a while a friend told me this. To me it meant that no matter what I could always return to running and start to rebuild the pace and distance I had lost. Hobbies outside of running: I like to hike, camp, test out Pinterest crafts, and find new experiences (aerial yoga anyone?). A funny or random fact about you: I have a goal of visiting every state park in Minnesota. I keep a map of the state parks framed on my wall and mark them off as I visit them. My favorite state park continues to be Jay Cooke State Park. Your secret talent: I get easily lost around all the pavement of the city, but I could tell you if we passed the same tree twice on a trail.

On Why She Started Running

I started running when I was 27 because I wanted to lose weight and I thought it might be good for my wellbeing. I had actually thought I would never like running, but when I started making progress on pace and distance I was hooked.

On becoming a Minneapolis Running Ambassador

I want to connect with the folks who are at the middle or back of the pack, need the motivation to get running again, or are looking to use running as an opportunity to increase wellbeing (especially with mental health). I see being a Minneapolis Running Ambassador as an opportunity to use my experiences to help folks connect with the runner and happiness inside of themselves.

Lisa Vongchingtrong

Name: Lisa Vongchingtrong

Lisa grew up in Bangkok, Thailand, went to college at Washington University in St. Louis, and moved to Minneapolis two and a half years ago for a job at Target HQ. She grew up loving food and baking and obsessed with grocery stores, and now have a career in food trend insights.

Age: 24Occupation: Food Trend ForagerHome: Minneapolis

Years of running experience: 10 Currently training for: Considering the City Trails Loppet 10M in May Favorite race distance: 10 Miles Favorite place to run: Cedar Lake Trail and the Stone Arch Bridge (Minneapolis), Lumpini and Benjakiti Park (Bangkok, Thailand) Best piece of running advice you have received: (on the topic of hand form when running) – pretend like you’re holding a potato chip. Hobbies outside of running: Cooking and baking, wandering farmers markets and grocery stores, reading (mostly nonfiction about psychology, economics, or business), volunteering with Make it MSP!/ MSP HELLO, and being an advocate for newcomers to Minneapolis. A funny or random fact about you: Worst gift I ever received was a dictionary from Santa when I was 8. I was not pleased. Your secret talent: I know the first 21 digits of pi.

On Why She Started Running

I started running when I was a freshman in highschool. I went to a model United Nations conference, got an invitation to my first race (a United Nations Day 5K), and unexpectedly placed! Since then, running has been a constant in my life that has helped me feel more like me no matter where I am, whether it’s with the Crazy Running club in Thailand, the November Project here in Minneapolis (when I can drag myself out of bed at 5am), or just by myself with some good music or podcasts.

On becoming a Minneapolis Running Ambassador

I decided to become a Minneapolis Running Ambassador because I thought it would be a great way to showcase the city in a unique way and get more involved in the local running community. I had a tough transition when I first moved to Minneapolis a couple years ago but have since become a huge advocate for the city and co-chair MSP HELLO, an initiative to welcome newcomers to the Twin Cities. I’m excited to combine my two interests and highlight the city through the lens of something I love – running!

Jeff Guille

Name: Jeff Guille

Born and raised in Minnesota, I am a middle-aged family man, entrepreneur/business owner, who loves running all distances whether on road or trails.

Age: 47Occupation: Business Owner/Massage TherapistHome: Rosemount

Years of running experience: 12 Currently training for: Always in “training mode” for 10Ks up to ½ marathons, but am currently contemplating Grandma’s Marathon and possibly a 2nd go-round at Twin Cities Marathon this fall. Favorite race distance: 10 mile and ½ marathons. They are long enough to give you a great workout and sense of accomplishment without having to train your brains out too much. Favorite place to run: I love my neighborhood where I run 90% of the time. I am on the outskirts of the city, so one minute I can be running in downtown “suburbia” with the smell of fresh cut grass while the next I am running down a dirt road in the country to the stink of cow manure. A close second place is trail running in the local regional parks. Simply beautiful! Best piece of running advice you have received: Ignore your brain but listen to your body. Hobbies outside of running: Hiking, biking and fishing. A funny or random fact about you: I am a HUGE Prince fan! Your secret talent: My massage therapy clients call me “Magic Hands”.

On Why She Started Running

I started running right after I began working at a wellness center back in the spring of 2006. About a month into working, they informed me that the entire staff runs in the annual community 4 mile race. I had always wanted to run and complete a 5K race, but had never pursued it. This was my excuse to give it a shot, but they had only given me a month and a half to train before race day. Since finishing that race, I was hooked and I haven’t stopped since!

On becoming a Minneapolis Running Ambassador

The mission statement says it all; “To motivate Minnesotans…” Throughout the years, I have had many friends and family tell me that I had either inspired them to try their first 5K or that they want to attempt their first race but don’t know if they can. I realize that running is not for everyone, and you can’t push people into liking it, but hopefully becoming a Minneapolis Running Ambassador, I will be able to influence more people into at least trying something that is new to them or outside of their comfort zone, and maybe someday they will have a very similar story to my own and they will continue to spread the motivation to others as well.

Why?

Learn more about why these fine folks decided to become a Minneapolis Running Ambassador.

I love the running community in the Twin Cities and was so excited by the opportunity to share my own story of training for my first marathon – the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Lauren AbdillMinneapolis Running Ambassador

“The mission statement says it all; “To motivate Minnesotans…” Throughout the years, I have had many friends and family tell me that I had either inspired them to try their first 5K or that they want to attempt their first race but don’t know if they can. I realize that running is not for everyone, and you can’t push people into liking it, but hopefully becoming a Minneapolis Running Ambassador, I will be able to influence more people into at least trying something that is new to them or outside of their comfort zone, and maybe someday they will have a very similar story to my own and they will continue to spread the motivation to others as well.”

Jeff GuilleMinneapolis Running Ambassador

“I have such a love and a passion for running and enjoy sharing it with people who want to listen. I love the Minneapolis area, having been born and primarily raised here, and feel so fortunate to live in a place that values active lifestyles so much. The match was a no brainer!”

Aaron Gregerson Minneapolis Running Ambassador

“I decided to become a Minneapolis Running Ambassador because I thought it would be a great way to showcase the city in a unique way and get more involved in the local running community. I had a tough transition when I first moved to Minneapolis a couple years ago but have since become a huge advocate for the city and co-chair MSP HELLO, an initiative to welcome newcomers to the Twin Cities. I’m excited to combine my two interests and highlight the city through the lens of something I love – running!”

Lisa Vongchingtrong Minneapolis Running Ambassador

“I want to connect with the folks who are at the middle or back of the pack, need the motivation to get running again, or are looking to use running as an opportunity to increase wellbeing (especially with mental health). I see being a Minneapolis Running Ambassador as an opportunity to use my experiences to help folks connect with the runner and happiness inside of themselves.”